Ten ECO Benefits

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview If you want to buy a particular house, you create a pros/cons sheet and list them all out. If you want to join a denomination, you do the same thing; but instead of calling them pros and cons, we call them benefits and shortcomings. So, what about ECO? We know a lot about their theology and their methodology, their mission and vision, their strategy and hopes. It’s all pretty cool. But what about the benefits for us? To answer that, here’s a script with three readers. Enjoy. It’s truly beneficial.   Ten ECO Benefits Reader 1: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine --- ten!  The ten ECO Benefits.  Reader 2:  The ten ECO Benefits.  Reader 1:  Number one: It’s egalitarian Reader 2: A former member said: “Being in a congregation where I knew I could never serve as an elder made me feel like

Yes, . . . But Talk About It

This sermon is based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-9. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Quiz time. There are two questions. Which one of the following axioms is worded correctly? Love the sin; hate the sinner. Love the sin; love the sinner. Hate the sin; hate the sinner. Tell everyone we hate the sin, but privately enjoy the sin. Hate the sin when others do it; love the sin when you do it. Condemn everyone for sinning, while feeling superior because you don’t. Hate the sin; love the sinner. Which of those seven axioms are we best at doing? (Unfortunately, this is a “choose all that apply” question)? We desperately need help here. Maybe this series can provide some guidance: “Yes, . . . But Love”

Could ECO Be a Good Partner?

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview For the next few weeks, we have the privilege of hearing from guest bloggers to help us think about the plans for our church's future. ____________________ by Megan Ferber Have you ever had one of those very energetic friends, who has lots of great ideas, fresh vigor, and probably was, at some point in life, either a youth pastor or a middle school teacher? As an introvert, I love these people for their ability to draw me out and introduce really fun new adventures. But at some point, I start feeling fatigued and making not-so-subtle hints at them— like a cross symbol brandished at vampires. What if this friend then turned out to have depths of wisdom and understanding? What if, after telling you about an awesome hiking adventure they’re planning that should lead to incredible views and wonderful conversations, they say, “Now, if we’re going

Yes, . . . But Truth

This sermon is based on Matthew 11:16-24. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Quiz time. There are two questions. Which one of the following axioms is worded correctly? Love the sin; hate the sinner. Love the sin; love the sinner. Hate the sin; hate the sinner. Tell everyone we hate the sin, but privately enjoy the sin. Hate the sin when others do it; love the sin when you do it. Condemn everyone for sinning, while feeling superior because you don’t. Hate the sin; love the sinner. Which of those seven axioms are we best at doing? (Unfortunately, this is a “choose all that apply” question)? We desperately need help here. Maybe this series can provide some guidance: “Yes, . . . But Love”

Why Denominations Matter

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview For the next few weeks, we have the privilege of hearing from guest bloggers to help us think about the plans for our church's future. ____________________ by Megan Ferber I quickly realized that when I was first asked to join the denominational research team, I had to figure out first why denominations matter. That’s kind of a big deal. You don’t want someone helping to decide the next steps of a church, and not having a good idea why the choice matters! It’s a really big deal.  But I have thoroughly appreciated the journey and the conversations I have had along the way. And I wouldn’t mind having even more. So let me tell you where I’ve landed at present, and I’d love to talk more with anyone who’s interested! To begin with, I was raised in a non-denominational, Protestant church of a few hundred members.

A Yes, . . . But Love

This sermon introduces our new series and is based on Matthew 9:9-13. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Quiz time. There are two questions. Which one of the following axioms is worded correctly? Love the sin; hate the sinner. Love the sin; love the sinner. Hate the sin; hate the sinner. Tell everyone we hate the sin, but privately enjoy the sin. Hate the sin when others do it; love the sin when you do it. Condemn everyone for sinning, while feeling superior because you don’t. Hate the sin; love the sinner. Which of those seven axioms are we best at doing? (Unfortunately, this is a “choose all that apply” question)? We desperately need help here. Maybe this series can provide some guidance: “Yes, . . . But Love”

The Surprising Story of the Skeptical Sadducees, Part 2

I grew up surrounded by puns. Why did the old man fall down the well? He couldn’t see that well!  What’s blue and not very heavy? Light blue. What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A can’t opener. And then there was this one: “Why did they call themselves the Sadducees?” Because they didn’t believe in the resurrection and that made them sad, you see.   Yes, I know that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, but I’m pretty sure that did not make them sad. In fact, several things suggest that they may have been quite happy with their lives.  They were rich and aristocratic. They controlled the temple, and all the high priests were Sadducees.  Outside of the religious sphere, they were successful merchants and found that the best way to get ahead is to go along with the Romans. They believed strongly in

A Oneness Culture

This sermon is based on Eph. 4:1-6, 14-16. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: The old campground rule says it this way: “Please leave things better than you found them.” I like that. I even want to do that. Even if it is impossible and we can’t leave things “better,” we can at least try really hard not to leave them any worse. But for better or worse, for richer or poorer, before you can make things better, you need to be sure what you are doing won’t make them worse. And the only way you can do that is to know what its “best version” would look like. For instance, take the church. If we want to make our church better, we first need to know what a healthy church looks like. And then, with that as our target, we can

The Surprising Story of the Skeptical Sadducees

Francois de La Rochefoucauld once said: “The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.” The fun thing about the gap years is that they reintroduce surprise into reading the New Testament. Take Mark 12, for instance. In this chapter, we find Jesus engaging in conversations with various Jewish leaders. That’s not so surprising, but it is telling. Jesus tells a parable that gets the chief priests and the elders very angry. He gets into it with the Pharisees and the Herodians about the imperial tax. He engages with a teacher of the law about the greatest commandment. And surprisingly, he has a discussion with the Sadducees. Why is that surprising? Because while the Sadducees are frequently mentioned in the Synoptic gospels (nine times!), this is the only time Jesus has a conversation with any of their members. Even more surprising

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